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UK to trial HPV vaccine in gay men but no plans yet for all boys

The UK is to trial offering the HPV vaccine to gay and bisexual men, but campaigners are calling for the vaccine to be given to all boys, as is done in the US and Australia.

Since 2008, girls in the UK have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. But the virus, which is spread by sexual activity, can also trigger a range of other cancers, including anal, penile and throat cancer.

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Campaign groups have welcomed the announcement, but have repeated the call for all boys in the UK to be vaccinated. “Vaccinating all men who have sex with men against HPV would be a vital step, but to be most effective, the HPV vaccine must be made available widely to all boys before they’re sexually active,” said Shaun Griffin, of the Terrence Higgins Trust charity.

Sexual health researchers agree. “Ideally, you must get people before their sexual debut, and a gender-neutral programme would cover all the bases,” says Carrie Llewellyn, at the University of Sussex, UK.

Wait and see

When the vaccine was first introduced, the focus was on preventing women from developing cervical cancer after having sex with men who carry the virus.

But it has since emerged that the virus can be transmitted through other types of sexual contact, such as oral and anal sex, resulting in cancers of the anus, penis and throat. In 2013, Cancer Research UK reported that between 2002 and 2012, oral cancers rose in the UK from 4400 to 6200 a year.
However the decision on whether to vaccinate boys in the UK may have to wait until 2017, when an advisory panel is due to complete its study of the possible costs and impact. It was a previous report by the same panel, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, that prompted Ellison to back the pilot programme for men who have sex with men.

Public Health England, which advises the UK government, said that the Department of Health must make its decision after the committee has delivered its recommendations next year. “The committee is still considering its advice on a possible extension of the programme to include adolescent boys,” says Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE.

But the Terrence Higgins Trust believes this is unnecessary stalling. “We’re urging them to roll it out as soon as possible for all boys,” a spokesperson told New Scientist. “We’re calling for the modelling for this programme to be sped up so that all 12 to 13 year old boys are given the vaccine at school, as is currently the case with girls.”